India’s strategic NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) sequence of satellites, designed, constructed and maintained by the nationwide House company ISRO, are defunct. The NAVIC sequence of satellites is supposed to supply Place, Navigation & Timing companies for civilian and army customers inside India and 1,500 km past the nation’s borders. Theoretically, a naked minimal of 4 satellites is required for the functioning of NAVIC. At current, barely 3 of 11 NAVIC satellites are fulfilling their core objective, publicly obtainable info reveals. Even amongst these 3 satellites, one may fail anytime, because it has effectively exceeded its anticipated life.
What’s NAVIC?
India confronted GPS-denial (lowered GPS accuracy) in the course of the 1999 warfare towards Pakistan, which hindered the Indian army from deftly navigating the treacherous Himalayan area, and affected the flexibility to conduct precision strikes at will on enemy positions. Confronted with this strategic vulnerability and international dependence, the Indian Authorities deliberate to arrange its personal different to the American GPS.
America operates GPS, China operates Beidou, Europe operates Galileo, and Russia operates GLONASS. NAVIC was designed to be India’s sovereign different to those companies. Whereas the aforementioned companies can be found globally, India’s NAVIC is supposed to operate solely within the Indian subcontinent area(inside Indian borders and 1,500 km past them).
Between 2013 and 2018, the Indian House Analysis Organisation (ISRO) launched the first-generation Indian Regional Navigation Satellite tv for pc System(IRNSS) sequence satellites. IRNSS was later referred to as NAVIC.
How IRNSS-series satellites failed en masse…
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In keeping with ISRO, the IRNSS first-generation was meant to have seven satellites. To fulfil this requirement, ISRO launched 9 IRNSS satellites(IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I) between 2013 and 2018. Of the 9, solely eight satellites have been efficiently positioned in orbit. IRNSS-1I couldn’t be positioned in orbit resulting from a rocket failure.
Of the eight that have been positioned in house, 5 satellites suffered failures in essential parts referred to as atomic clocks. Atomic clocks are extremely exact and complex timekeeping devices, that are basic to the operation of Navigation satellites. When all atomic clocks in a satellite tv for pc fail, it implies a complete failure of that satellite tv for pc’s functionality to supply Place, Navigation & Timing.
In 2025, responding to a Proper to Info(RTI) question, ISRO mentioned that 5(1A, 1C, 1D, 1E,1G) of eight IRNSS satellites suffered failure in all three on-board atomic clocks.
With atomic clock failures in 5 of eight first-generation satellites, solely three(1B, 1F, 1I) satellites remained operational. Even amongst these three remaining satellites, IRNSS-1B has exceeded its mission lifetime of 10years and is now in its eleventh 12 months. Two atomic clocks onboard IRNSS-1F had failed earlier, whereas its third and ultimate atomic clock failed this week. Launched in 2018, IRNSS-1I is anticipated to be operational till 2028.
In a press release issued on Friday,(thirteenth March), ISRO mentioned that its “IRNSS-1F satellite tv for pc launched in March 2016 has accomplished its design mission lifetime of 10 years on tenth March 2026.” On thirteenth March 2026, the procured on-board Atomic clock stopped functioning. Nevertheless, the satellite tv for pc will proceed to operate in-orbit for varied societal functions to supply one-way broadcast messaging companies, it was added.
This suggests that solely two satellites IRNSS-1B and IRNSS-1I, from the first-generation are in some state of operation, however they face a excessive threat of failure anytime.
Throughout launch, ISRO had estimated that every IRNSS-series satellite tv for pc may function in house for 10years. Theoretically, these satellites may reside longer, if they’ve gasoline of their tanks for performing important manoeuvres, and their essential methods are useful. Nevertheless, the untimely atomic clock failures in six of eight satellites have been a giant setback. ISRO admitted that every one these atomic clocks have been imported.
ISRO’s NVS-series satellites started to exchange the IRNSS-series
With the pricey classes learnt from the IRNSS-series(first -generation NAVIC) failures, which is India’s first try at creating a constellation of GPS-like satellites, ISRO determined to construct and launch bigger satellites below the NVS-series. The NVS-series was meant to exchange the IRNSS-series. In easy phrases, the NVS-series is the second-generation, superior fleet of NAVIC satellites. ISRO mentioned that the NVS-series would comprise a complete of 5 satellites.
One among two Second Technology NAVIC satellites failed
ISRO launched NVS-01 in Could 2023, and that satellite tv for pc has been working as designed, as per the company. Nevertheless, its successor satellite tv for pc, NVS-02, which was launched in January 2025, failed to achieve its designated orbit. The satellite tv for pc stays caught in its preliminary orbit, because the satellite tv for pc’s onboard engine couldn’t fireplace to elevate it larger. Caught within the preliminary orbit, NVS-02 can not present Place, Navigation, Timing companies. Subsequently, India has just one absolutely useful NVS-series satellite tv for pc(NVS-02) in orbit, when it requires 5 of them.
ISRO’s timelines are disconnected from actuality
In 2025, the Indian Authorities had mentioned in Parliament that ISRO would launch the remaining NVS satellites by the top of 2026. Nevertheless, this looks like an unrealistic timeline, given ISRO’s tempo to date. ISRO launched NVS-01 in Could 2023; NVS-02 was launched in January 2025, which reveals a spot of 19 months between the 2 launches. It has been greater than a 12 months after the NVS-02 failure, and its successor, NVS-03, has not been launched. ISRO has additionally confronted three failures in six missions executed between January 2025 and January 2026, additional slowing down the general tempo of exercise and affecting morale.
How do America’s GPS and China’s Beidou examine?
The American International Positioning System(GPS), which helps trillion-dollar civilian and army functions worldwide, requires a fleet of 24 satellites in orbit for optimum efficiency and round the clock world protection. Contemplating how essential GPS is to the worldwide financial system, the US Authorities maintains at the very least 30 GPS satellites in orbit at any given time limit. The six extra satellites are meant to make sure that the service stays dependable and strong, even when a couple of satellites fail or encounter sudden glitches.
To fulfill its personal nationwide necessities, China operates a fleet of Beidou satellites, which function an alternative choice to America’s GPS. Whereas Beidou requires a fleet of 30 satellites in orbit, round 35 satellites are believed to be in orbit.
In the meantime, after many years of scientific effort and billions of taxpayer Rupees spent, India’s bold desi-GPS mission NAVIC stays in a defunct state. Whereas NAVIC requires a naked minimal of 4 satellites, it’s presently down to a few.
Pitiably, two of the paltry three NAVIC satellites are counting all the way down to age-related obsolescence. The current actuality of NAVIC is a stark reminder that- even 1 / 4 of a century after the Kargil Battle- India doesn’t have an operational fleet of Place, Navigation & Timing satellites for its strategic functions.
